Few artists can legitimately claim to be groundbreaking, but Talking Heads are one of them. In his song-by-song discussion of their work, American musician and journalist David Starkey looks at how David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison and Tina Weymouth emerged from New York’s mid-1970s punk scene and quickly distinguished themselves as innovative musicians.

 

Drawing frequently on first-person accounts from members of the band, Starkey brings to life the composition and recording of each song, pointing out hidden patterns in Byrne’s lyrics and ensuring that each member of Talking Heads receives credit for their contribution to this unparalleled body of work.

 

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David Starkey is an American writer and musician. A former Santa Barbara Poet Laureate and a long-time reviewer for the Santa Barbara Independent, he is also the author of the novel Poor Ghost, about a plane crash that killed most of the members of a legendary rock band. Toad the Wet Sprocket frontman Glen Phillips called Poor Ghost ‘the best band that never was.’ A lifelong musician, Starkey plays with various groups in Santa Barbara, California, including the Winehounds, and with drummer Eric Prothero, he records and performs as Falstaff Riley.